"As the polling booths are dismantled and the dust settles across the country, one thing will be gloriously clear to us. We are a Scotland rebooted, energised, empowered and – above all, after decades of feeling ignored and discounted by London – heard."

00:41: Queen to make a written statement this afternoon - BBC's Andrew Neil

"The last YouGov poll shows that No gained a lead at 54% versus 46% who voted Yes.

It's not entirely surprising that the polls say one thing and people on the streets say another.

Speaking to and interviewing people across a range of industries and walks of life in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the Yes campaign have been relentlessly loud, brash and prolific, compared to Better Together which were rarely seen.

In line with stealth, and seemingly absent canvassing, No voters whispered their support off camera and and under cover of anonymity."

00:08: Labour shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander: "We should all feel both extraordinary pride and a certain humility when it comes to a turnout of this scale because it is literally unprecedented."

23:52 The chairman of Yes Scotland, Dennis Canavan, has told Sky News: "I'm still optimistic ... I'm not at this stage conceding the result."

23:47 BBC: In some parts of Glasgow up to 80% turned out to vote. Whoever wins - if "win" is the word following such a divisive campaign - has democracy been the winner?

19:53 Just over two hours left for the undecided to make their minds up...

Which side will be cracking open the Bucks Fizz in Scotland tonight?Youtube

19:29 Hopefully this won't pass unnoticed on this historic day for Scotland (and indeed us all). The Royal and Ancient Golf Club has voted to allow ladies to become members. Welcome to the 20th Century... (Before you all tweet in - that was a "joke")

19:14 And now this message from our Glorious Leader (I think)...

19:08 Thanks for that timely tune suggestion Rocco!

18.10: It's all gone a bit quiet, as the evening lull kicks in. Expect to hear more in the coming hours about expected results. But for now, it's time to hand over to @markliampiggott for the evening shift. Thanks for joining me.

I'll leave you with this: the Taiwanese interpretation of the past few weeks of the referendum build up. Just ignore the accent...

17:10: Here's Marc Waddington's full scoop in the Liverpool Echo on the Marie Rimmer arrest:

A former Merseyside council leader was arrested and charged with assault as she campaigned against Scottish independence at a polling station in Glasgow.

Marie Rimmer, who has been on St Helens council for more than three decades, was held after, the ECHO understands, a woman was kicked at a community centre in the Shettleston area of Glasgow around lunchtime as Scots turned out to cast their vote in the landmark referendum.

She was among droves of Merseyside politicians in Scotland to support the 'No' campaign, urging Scotland not to abandon the union during today's historic vote.

But it is understood a dispute broke out between the rival camps at the Shettleston Community Centre in Amulree Street in the inner city suburbs of the country's second city.

Here's Marie Rimmer about to embark on the campaign trail this morning...

16:58: Some more detail from Marc Waddington on the arrest in Glasgow:

16:49: This just in from the City Editor of the Liverpool Echo, Marc Waddington:

16:40: Meanwhile...

16:34: Here's another update from Lianna Brinded, reporting from Edinburgh this week:

Wandering around IBTimes UK's temporary HQ in Grassmarket, Edinburgh, the Yes campaign has stepped up canvassing for support.

There are people giving out leaflets on every corner and a sign saying 'Honk If You Vote Yes' are resulting in endless car horn blowing near the corner of Lauriston Place.

A rally, spread by word of mouth, is now set to start at 1900 BST from the library in Niddrie - one of Edinburgh's most impoverished estates to the local polling station - led by a bagpipe player

Lianna also got the Catalan independence suppporters mentioned earlier (12:26), to find out why they're in Scotland for the referendum.

16:19: Yet more market data which shows the general feeling among traders over the outcome of the referendum (that it will be a 'No'). Alastair McCaig, Market Analyst at IG, the spreadbetting firm, tweeted the following:

16:08: Is there anybody who is not trying to get in on the indyref act? This has just come in from Clinton Cards:

National card and gift retailers Clintons have seen an 8% lift in the sale of 'sorry you're leaving' cards in the last week, ahead of today's Scottish referendum.

Tim Fairs, marketing director at Clintons, said: "We're unclear whether this is a reflection of a more buoyant job market or a hint that some people are betting on a Yes vote in today's referendum."

He added: "This is no exit poll, but as a back of the envelope calculation it might show that some think that change is on the cards."

15:36: Lianna Brinded, our Business Editor, spoke to Adrian Rogstad, country risk analyst for research firm IHS, about the risk of violence later tonight on the streets of Scotland.

Here's what he had to say:

"Overall, during the campaign process, the marches have been largely peaceful and not very violent. There's only been a bit of egg throwing. However, saying that, I do think there will be a short term rise in tensions, violence and vandalism if it ends up being a No vote."

"You've got to think, around half of the population are likely to be disappointed and with results being announced so close to pub closing times, there will be a spate of violence. This will lead to mainly vandalism and unrest from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

"However, come the working week, there will be a significant reduction in tension."

15:29: What do the Monster Raving Loony Party think?

Candidate for the Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope arrives at the Eastleigh by-election count at Fleming Park Leisure Centre in Eastleigh in southern England February 28, 2013. Residents of Eastleigh voted for a new member of parliament (MP) on Thursday, following the resignation of Liberal Democrat politician Chris Huhne.Reuters

Right, so we've had input today from Andy Murray and Björk. In order to form an unholy trinity, we thought it would be a good idea to find out what the The Official Monster Raving Loony Party thinks.

From their website, on the "Scottish Neverendum" (we can only presume that "the fish" is Nicola Sturgeon:

We have noticed a few things which are particular to the Scottish Neverendum Campaign. There are calls that in the event of a Yes Vote David Cameroon should resign,(why?) however if they Vote No does Alex Salmond and the fish resign?

Also If the vote is No, will Alex Salmond as he is already doing, blame the BBC and the Westminster Government for bullying and scaremongering?

When he talks a load of rubbish its political campaigning, when someone refutes his arguments "it's all a conspiracy".

But let's get one thing clear if the Vote is No it should not raise its ugly head for at least another 300 years. I suspect however that if the vote is close we will be going through this scenario again in a few short years, and again , and again until Alex Salmond gets the result he wants. Hence the Scottish Neverendum.

When it comes to screaming out loud we in the Loony party have much more experience than Alex Salmond. (Re our former leader,the clue is in the name)

But if that leaves it a bit ambiguous as to what they actually want, then they clear things up in a later post:

We propose, in order to keep everyone happy, Scotland will be independent, every other year. Simple, Easy, Effective

Cheers, lads.

15:09: From the rather aptly named Brilliant Maps: If All 'European Free Alliance' Separatist Movements Succeeded.

How many of these places have you been to?

15:00: Markets react to potential 'No' vote

FTSE reacts to latest odds.Reuters

Some further signs that markets are warming to the idea that a 'No' vote will come through.

Flashes on the Reuters wire show that UK gilt futures have fallen to a session low, after the Ipsos Mori poll showed a majority of Scots are against independence.

The sterling, the cornerstone of much of the economic debate and which has fallen on fears of independence, has now hit a two-year high against the euro and, slightly less spectacularly, a two-week high against the US dollar.

The FTSE 100 is less than 100 pts from multi-year highs, if investors were truly taking precaution over the result you'd imagine it'd be a bit lower.

Most FTSE 100 companies don't do a lot of business in Scotland but the uncertainty of it could push stock prices lower and the stock price declines of those businesses who have strong ties could easily do substantial damage to the market as a whole.

Sterling has traded higher in the last week and is back above 1.63 to the dollar the price before the YouGov poll put the 'Yes' campaign ahead which really doesn't suggest too much concern.

Volatile days can see 300 pip swings in FX, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that 'Yes' vote would cause a total capitulation in cable and see it down 800 pips in the days following to 1.55.

14:55: Via the Reuters wire, Dr Michael J. Geary, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Europe at Maastricht University, makes some interesting and salient points about the potential of an independent Scotland. The negotiation period, he naturally says, will be vital. While some international organisations will be easier to join than others. He draws on some fascinating examples.

For Scotland, the first 18 months after a 'Yes' result will be crucial not only for finding a solution to the currency question but also in securing membership of the international community. Edinburgh will, of necessity, have to seek membership of many international organizations including the UN, EU, IMF and the World Bank; Scotland will not automatically inherit membership of any organization where Britain is already a member. At the UN, membership should be a relatively straightforward process. Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Eritrea and others each had to apply to join the UN once their independence dreams were realized. The only potential hazard might be a veto from a member of the Security Council.

History has shown that membership of the financial institutions, the IMF and the World Bank, for newly independent countries is somewhat similar. Independence did not confer automatic membership for any of the countries mentioned above and Scotland will have to make a fresh application. Membership of an international organization gives rise to rights and obligations of voting, as well as budgetary contributions and the (re)allocation of voting right with each enlargement. Here, again, the quest for membership should be plain sailing.

After independence, and based on past precedent, Scotland will have automatically exited the EU. Algeria, administered as a départment of France, gained independence in 1962 and was therefore, for a short time, part of the EEC. Its independence did not confer on it an automatic right to Community membership, even if it wanted it. The biggest post-independence decision for Edinburgh will be whether to apply for EU membership and with it, access to the Single Market. Through Britain's membership, Scotland has been implementing the acquis communautaire for the past 40 years. It should, on paper, be the least problematic enlargement in the EU's history. However, a number of key issues would require negotiation. Should Scotland apply to become a full member, would it agree to become part of Schengen? Most likely, not. Strategically, it would make sense to negotiate an opt-out similar to the one secured by Ireland and Britain. Edinburgh could then negotiate to join the British-Irish Common Travel Area to facilitate the flow of air, sea and road transport without onerous border restrictions.

14:45: More detail on arrest at polling station

Our reporter Ewan Palmer has more details on that arrest at a polling station earlier:

A man has been arrested over an alleged assault which occurred at a Scottish referendum polling station in Clydebank.

The man, believed to be a 'Yes' voter, is accused of attacking a Labour council member at a station in Faifley as he made his way to vote in the historic poll.

The alleged attack took place as police ordered thousands of officers to polling stations across the country, to deal with any potential incidents.

The 44-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assault is due to appear before Dunbartonshire Court to face the charges.

The Scottish Labour party confirmed the assault in Clydebank. A spokesperson said: "A councillor was assaulted by a 'Yes' activist at the polling station and the person was arrested by police."

14:25: Bookmaker Paddy Power has been in touch with some info on the latest movements in the Scottish referendum betting markets.

From their spokesperson:

From speaking to the traders the most significant thing they've seen in the last 24 hours is the shift in the Glasgow vote, whilst they favour a no vote the yes vote has significantly shortened from 6/4 to 8/15 – essentially it's going to be a lot closer in Glasgow than had been originally anticipated.

Other interesting bits and bobs:

Largest non-sporting betting market ever; six figures over last 24 hours and £1m+ payout

30% of Scottish bettors are putting their money on Yes

Record turnout expected, giving punters a likely payday of nearly £100k on an over 80% turnout bet

3 out of 4 of Scotland's big cities look to be voting No

Currently priced at...Yes: 7/2 No: 1/5

14:10: Scots to turn to bitcoin?

The currency issue has been one of the core arguments of the past few months. In the case of independence, the SNP and Alex Salmond have been adamant that they'll keep the pound, or else walk away from their share of the UK's debt. Westminster and the Bank of England have been dismissive of this claim, saying that a currency union is not an option.

Guy Debelle, the assistant governor of Australia's central bank, suggested earlier this year that a nation such as Scotland could potentially switch from using a traditional fiat currency to a cryptocurrency, referring to it as a "nice natural experiment about the future of money in Scotland".

Scotland already has a national cryptocurrency - at least unofficially - in the form of scotcoin.

Set up earlier this year by Edinburgh-based venture capitalist Derek Nisbet, scotcoin markets itself as a local cryptocurrency that can be used by Scottish communities and businesses.

Since the debate on Scottish independence, scotcoin has seen its value surge. Earlier this week, scotcoin's market capitalisation stood at over £500,000, according to CoinMarketCap.

13:56: Some more stattage, for those number lovers. In the run up to the referendum, what seemed to be every bank and financial institution based in Scotland made rumblings, of varying volumes, about upping sticks for the far side of Hadrian's Wall in case of a 'Yes' vote.

Just how much is the financial sector worth to Scotland's economy? The financial sector generates between £7bn to £9bn in revenue annually for the economy and is worth £1.4bn to the Scottish exports sector.

Its banking industry employs 100,000 people and accounts for 13% of banking employment in the UK. Lloyds employs 16,000 staff in Scotland. RBS employs 11,500. Bank of Scotland has 293 branches. RBS has 270.

70% of all pension products bought by Scots comes from rest of UK. Standard Life, Scottish Widows, and Scottish Life, are the biggest employers. Standard Life is the largest insurer based in Scotland. Standard Life employs 5,000 in Scotland, but about 90% of its UK customers live outside Scotland.

What of fund managers?

Around 500 funds are run by Scotland based money managers. Assets managed in Scotland? £560bn in 2013, 11% of the UK's total £5tn. 15% of the total UK industry headcount of 30,800 is based in Scotland, with 60 hedge funds located there as of July. 48% of Scottish adults have an Individual Savings Account, which benefits from UK tax relief.

Thanks to the indefatigable Shane Croucher for that data. You can all relax now.

13:13: Here's an eye-catching moment from the BBC archives. Alex Salmond appears on Question Time 22 years ago talking about the prospect of Scottish independence. He's alongside the former Labour leader John Smith and former deputy prime minister, Michael Heseltine, of the Conservative Party.

Salmond's message has remained pretty constant since 1992, by the sounds of things: that Westminster doesn't represent the Scottish people and that, eventually, Scotland will become an independent nation. Will today be that fateful day?

13:18: Fortunately there are very few reports of violence at polling stations so far on referendum day, but Glasgow police told IBTimes UK of one concerning incident. A spokeswoman said:

"A 44-year-old man is due to appear at Dunbartonshire Court on Friday with regard to an alleged assault in a polling station in Faifley in Clydebank this morning."

13:07: Independent Scotland to Join Nordic Council?

Can't we be friends? Norway's Ola Kamara and Scotland's Steven Whittaker (L) fight for the ball during their international friendly soccer match at Aker Stadium in Molde.Reuters

The Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet ran a poll and found that 78.84% of its readers would welcome an independent Scotland in the 'Nordic Council', whose members are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Aland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Their country looks more like Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway than England!

Ekstra Bladet

Well, it's an option...

Last year, the pro-independence group National Collective published the following quotes from Nordic Council officials:

Rasmus Helveg Petersen MP, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the Social Liberals – who are part of the Danish government – stated that in the event of independence

Scottish membership of the EU would be a mere formality."

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen MP, the Venstre Spokesperson on European Affairs and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said

Should Scotland vote for independence it would only be natural for Denmark to acknowledge this independence and to welcome Scotland in both the EU in accordance with the Copenhagen Criteria and also in NATO."

The Nordic Council is the official inter-parliamentary body in the Nordic Region. The Nordic Council was formed in 1952.

12:42: What Scotland Thinks, a research firm, has just published its final "poll of polls", which shows the 'No' vote on 52% and the 'Yes' vote on 48%.

The graph below shows What Scotland Thinks' latest Poll of Polls and how it has evolved over time.

The latest and last Poll of Polls is based on two polls by Survation, two by Ipsos MORI, one by YouGov and one by Panelbase, and one by ICM. The polls were conducted between 12 and 17 September.

The calculation is exceptionally based on seven polls because one poll by Survation and one by ICM shared exactly the same fieldwork dates. They have each been counted with a weight of 0.5.

The following new polls have been added to the calculation: Ipsos MORI for Evening Standard, first released on 18 September. Its inclusion made no difference to the previous poll of polls dated 17 September

And here's the graph he's talking about:

What Scotland Thinks

12:33: This is very unfortunate. The debate over Scottish independence has been impassioned and lively, but this picture, taken by Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, shows that an ugly side of the debate has reared its head.

Three Catalans who have travelled to Scotland to support the Yes vote.Lianna Brinded / IBTimes UK

Despite the latest polls, which show that the 'No' vote is beginning to enjoy some daylight, the support of Catalans who have travelled to Scotland to experience the referendum is unwavering.

More Catalan support has arrived at Holyrood, pledging support from the younger generation. IBTimes UK spoke to Sergi, 21, Josep, 23, and Tomás, 24, who have all travelled for the voting period to pledge support to those Scots that are looking for independence.

They say it's the younger generation that will make a difference to the push for independence in both Scotland and Catalonia. They're hoping that if Scotland does become independence, then the EU would be more supportive of their own breakaway

Lianna Brinded, Business Editor

12:10: Pollster Ipsos Mori has released its final poll and it looks like positive news for 'No' voters and an extraordinary boon for fans of democracy. An incredible 95% (ninety-five) of those polled say they're going to cast a vote. They have 'No' at 53% and 'Yes' at 47%.

As I wrote earlier (06:30), no matter how the vote goes, with turnout like that, nobody can have any complaints.

11:56:

Small to medium enterprises are the lifeblood of Scotland's economy, accounting for 99% of private sector in the country.

Speaking to IBTimes TV, the co-founder of graphics company Thin Red Line Design, Jil Murphy told us why she is voting Yes and why others should to.

Murphy, who also works on the campaign trail for pro-independence, said that the only way that SMEs can ensure a better deal is through more domestic control over the economy.

11:42: An update to that Iain McKenzie MP story (11:10). We've been in touch with his office and a spokesperson has told us that there is "no truth whatsoever" that he was asked to leave. He has a "roving brief" and is touring polling stations, so simply was moving on to another one. When asked if there was any incident at all she said "no".

The man himself has just tweeted this response:

11.40: The financial sector has made no secret of its hopes: most are willing a 'No' vote. And this report from Shane Croucher shows that analysts are fairly confident they'll get their wish.

However, they are still trying to anticipate what would happen to the markets if voters say "no".

"The markets will start to move from the exit polls as this will give traders some form of trend direction for the vote," said Joshua Raymond, chief market strategist at CityIndex.

"However a yes vote would still be a shock, particularly given the small lead most polls are giving the no camp.

"Whilst the timeframe for an independent Scotland gives time to sort the fine details of what a breaking of the union could look like, a break up will still trigger a huge wave of uncertainty over the so many unanswered questions such as the role of the BoE and the pound.

"Investors hate uncertainty and so we could likely see an upsurge in risk aversion and a selling of the pound."

Angus Campbell, a senior analyst at FXPro, said a yes vote would "cause an immediate sell off in sterling".

"We saw GBPUSD fall 4 cents following the YouGov poll some ten days ago that showed the Yes Campaign in the lead for the first time ever, a 2.5% fall, but if the vote for independence succeeds then a much bigger sterling sell off can be expected," Campbell said.

"[A No] result would be a boon for the British pound which should see a strong relief rally in the short term as all the worries over how assets and liabilities will be split are swept firmly under the carpet.

"I say 'swept' because the issue is highly likely to resurface at some point in the future, especially if the Scottish National Party maintains its grip on power in Holyrood."

11.20:

It's not just Scots that are looking for independence, one Catalonian travelled all the way to Scotland to push for breaking away from Spain.Lianna Brinded / IBTimes UK

From our Business Editor Lianna Brinded:

It's not just Scots that are looking for independence, one Catalonian travelled all the way to Scotland to push for breaking away from Spain.

Seb told us that he and his fellow pro-independence supporters back Scots breaking away from the UK because it will help the Catalans' cause.

A full interview will be up soon...

11:10: [UPDATE: 11:29] IBTimes UK has been in touch with Iain McKenzie's office and is awaiting confirmation of these reports.

Unconfirmed reports are piling in from voters on Twitter that Iain McKenzie, Labour MP for Inverclyde. PPS to Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland & Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, has been asked to leave the polling station at Port Glasgow for "shouting at voters" to "vote No".

11:02: Previous election campaigns have been won and lost on the doorsteps. It's fair to say, I think, that in this day and age, images of politicians kissing babies are less politically savvy. This is probably the first time on these islands that the electoral battlegrounds have been drawn so prominently on social media.

Social media consultancy We Are Social has been in touch with the latest figures, which shows that from 21 August to 17 September, there were more than 2.4 million mentions of #indyref on Twitter. With the #voteyes hashtag being used 720,776 times and #bettertogether trailing on 145,445. It perhaps tells you something about the demography of the vote.

From We Are Social:

When looking at those people who have indicated a preference For and Against; the Yes campaign has consistently outstripped the No campaign. The Yes campai

Well done to Glasgow, our commonwealth city, and to the people of Scotland for such a incredible support